JERSEY JACK

By Jack Guarnieri, PinballSales.com & ShuffleAlley.com

Honesty is Good Business Policy, Too!

One of the things we hear about almost every day in one form or another concerns ethics or the lack thereof. We see it in big business with the stories of how the "little people" lost their retirement money to greed. We see media icons with cult followings fall from grace because of an inability to tell the whole truth. Maybe we overhear co-workers or bosses telling outright lies to customers or other coworkers. Constantly making up excuses and stories to blame others so that you can make it through the day eventually becomes acceptable behavior.

It's all wrong! Listen, I'm no angel, and there are some of us who have a better moral and ethical compass than others. Some married partners cheat on their spouses and somehow justify it. Similarly, some business partners violate verbal and written agreements.

Are there any ethics or morals left in business or anywhere else? Maybe the teachings of faith could point us in a direction as to how we could conduct ourselves in our daily lives. We've probably all used the thin excuse "it's business, not personal" to justify an unpleasant decision or course of action. Is there a separation of our business and personal lives and should there be one? Instead of North, South, East and West, my Dad, Mom, Wife and Faith comprise the four corners of my ethical and moral compass.

Where it starts is probably genetic, but ethical practices have also been a learned and copied practice among people since the beginning of time. A lie will always bring more lies, but eventually the truth will always find it's way out.

"Honesty is the best policy," the old saying goes. Many of us learned that telling the truth can get us into trouble so now we hear an ad campaign that makes it all OK: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," the slogan boasts. That may be, but your reputation follows you everywhere. So we learn that telling the truth but not the whole truth is sometimes safer; what they don't know won't hurt you.

We look at different professions and gauge how much we can trust someone. Think of the people you know and can really trust. Do they include the following; doctor, car mechanic, politician, financial advisor, plumber, lawyer, your spouse, your children, your partners, your employees?

I've always said, "If I can trust you, I can teach you," when talking to new employees. Most have been very successful but a few have not. I gave them all of the tools and they went on to build straight and true or fell short. If I can trust you with little things, I can trust you with bigger things, but if that trust has been violated I have a very difficult choice. We all stumble and I forgive but do not forget. If it's severe enough, that person is out, one way or the other.

The test of what is right rests on each of us individually. If you have a mission statement for your company, go and find it, read it again, update it, teach it and live it. If you don't have one, write one. Teach each of your employees that it's better to be honest than to be dishonest.

Hard work is hard, but it pays off. If they see you cheating, stealing, lying, they will do it too. The examples you set for others should be a model for them to follow. Be the same person at home that you are at work. Lead by example. I will not ask an employee to do anything I would not do or have not already done.

Do your best, always. If everyone did their best, you would see team spirit, cooperation, productivity and peace flourish. While nobody is perfect, review how each of your employees interacts with other employees, customers and vendors. That includes management. What they do has a huge impact on the performance and perception of your company. That impact is both financial and ethical, and often they do not run in parallel.

Somewhere in the middle is that balance that you must strike. The job of a manager is to get people to be their best, not to throw gasoline or sand on the daily company fires and not to pit one employee against another or to blame others for mistakes.

In my business I am accountable. I answer the phone calls and e-mails, and I am on the front line. While seemingly I am atop that pyramid, I am also at the bottom supporting the other employees in my company with encouragement, knowledge, praise and positive attitude. My employees know that their paychecks do not come from me, they come from our customers! I understand that every one of my customers is my boss, and I am accountable to them to do the best we can do as individuals and as a company.

Management of a company's most precious asset, its employees, is one of the most difficult tasks you face. That's why great managers are so well paid; not everyone can do it. If that manager cannot command the respect of the employees through his or her actions, ability, experience, reputation, attitude and honesty then all of the employees under that person will not be able to do it either. The saying, "The fish stinks from the head" is something that comes to mind.

When I was a kid, I remember my grandfather talking about his business and over the years I learned more about it. He was an Italian immigrant who came to this country as a boy. His father died when he was very young and his brother was killed in World War I so he grew up fast and went to work. He worked a pushcart and had a great way with people; strangers became customers and friends. He provided excellent service and went out of his way for his customers.

When Pepsi-Cola came to New York, my grandfather became one of their first distributors in Manhattan. He named the company Gioacchino Guarnieri Beverage Distributors. He put his name on the trucks and the company because he was proud, but more importantly, because it was his name. He knew that his name would always be clean, that he would always do business honestly and ethically and work hard to earn an honest dollar.

Lifting those heavy wooden cases and thick glass bottles, my grandfather and his family, his employees helped build Pepsi-Cola in New York for many years. He even designed special soda trucks for Mack Truck and my uncles and cousins would work the routes for many more years up until this very day. When he retired he was asked to join Pepsico's board of directors, but declined, opting instead for time with his family. My grandfather's syrup salesman, Donald Kendall, went on to become president of Pepsico.

I'm named after my grandfather. My given name Gioacchino means "Jackie." That's why I put my name on my corporation years ago too. My son's name is Jack, so there's another reason to do the right thing. Sometimes it causes me pain or money or pride. Once in a great while the cost is a business acquaintance or an employee. But when I hit that Tempur-Pedic bed at night, I go right to sleep knowing I did the right thing. How about you?

Jack Guarnieri started fixing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the coin-op game business since then. He operated a substantial game route in Brooklyn, N.Y., developed amusement centers and was called in as a consultant to manage Mondial Distributing and State Sales in New Jersey. In 1999, he founded PinballSales.com to sell coin-op to the home market. In 2002, he founded ShuffleAlley.com and released the Parker Bohn III Pro Bowler game, reviving the shuffle alley. His positive attitude, honest insights and opinions have made him a popular figure in the trade. While managing and growing his businesses, he still consults inside and outside the industry, and his marketing, promotional and business management expertise are widely sought. He's very active in his church, community and charitable causes as well. You can learn more at his websites (www.PinballSales.com and www.ShuffleAlley.com) or by phoning him at 866/323-JACK. Email is Jack@Pinballsales.com.

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